On The Watch “It’s All About Canelo Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders”

WBA/WBC/WBO Super Middleweight Title Unification

Last night’s DAZN/Matchroom Main Event card at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, between Pound-for-Pound “Kingpin” Unified Super WBA/WBC and Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 Kos) and WBO Super Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (30-1, 14 Kos) definitely lived up to the hype in front of a record-breaking indoor crowd of 73,126 in attendance.

This bout was an intriguing-type fight, a high played chess match executed on the biggest stage that required both combatants to strategize every move countered by each other. Billy showed up big tonight and proved to be a worthy opponent with exceptional skills that made things quite tricky at times with his elusive ways. Billy fought well, boxed and moved with the right “game plan” at hand until Canelo started to set Billy up by applying calculated pressure with some heavy body punches that really troubled Billy as the rounds were piling up.

Canelo is a different “Beast” inside that squared circle and Billy found out just how tough of an opponent Canelo can be when pressed to go toe to toe. Canelo kept it cool round by round but never wavered when Billy had his moments in spurts building his own confidence up. However, it was only a matter of time before Canelo eventually caught up to Billy. That being said a devastating right uppercut to Billy’s right eye did just that in the 8th round and undeniably changed the momentum in Canelo’s favor. The “End Game” was inevitable.

That particular punch instantly swelled Billy’s eye shut. Due to the heavy damage sustained, Billy retired on his stool following the end of the 8th round, unable to continue.

With this stoppage Canelo was awarded the TKO victory and awarded the WBO Super Middleweight Belt to be added to his collection alongside his Super WBA/WBC and Ring Magazine Titles. Once again Canelo captures the “0” of another undefeated and worthy Champion in Billy Joe Saunders.

The road to Undisputed is still the task at hand. In order to attain the last remaining Title, Canelo will need to Unify the 168-Pound Division by Challenging the IBF Champion Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 Kos). Another captivating bout to look forward too.

History is on your horizon Canelo, until then, congratulations on another convincing win.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Chris Arreola”

Heavyweight Throwdown

Last night’s PBC/Fox PPV Main Event between former Heavyweight Champion Andy Ruiz Jr. (34-2, 22 Kos) and Chris Arreola (38-7-1, 33 Kos) at Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, was a dramatic bout from start to finish. Real Talk!

A visibly slimmed down Andy walked in the squared circle feeling himself and thinking this was going to be easy work and underestimated his opponent. He was careless in the second round when he got caught flush on the dome and dropped for a surprising quick 8 count that kept him shook for the remaining of a tough round.

Chris didn’t come to lay down and he fought a smart fight and actually hurt Ruiz again in the third round. Andy kept it cool and took a few rounds to shake it off and then proceeded to box his way through the remaining rounds applying some good pressure with his combinations.

Chris proved to be tough as expected and made Andy work and respect the veteran who was in front of him inside that squared circle.

As good as Andy looked physically inside that squared circle, he seemed a little off to me and had to dig really deep to survive all 12 rounds of this bout. Both combatants were visibly tired as their punch output slowed down in the later rounds.

That being said, both warriors put on a show that did not disappoint. At the conclusion of this bout the Judges scored it 117-110, 118-109, 118-109 unanimously for Andy Ruiz.

Listen, I don’t have a problem with Andy walking away with the win but the score cards do not reflect what transpired inside that squared circle. These Judges did Chris dirty on this one. Hands Down!

Congratulations to Andy for pulling off this though win.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Dereck Chisora vs Joseph Parker”

Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Title

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Main Event between Joseph Parker (29-2, 21 Kos) and Dereck Chisora (32-11, 23 kos) at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England was a tough outing for both combatants.

Straight from the jump in the first 7 seconds of round 1, Chisora caught Parker flush on the side of the head for a quick knockdown and an 8 count to start the fight that proceeded to go back and forth from this point on.

Chisora was aggressive out the gate pressuring Parker who kept his cool, defending off the onslaught coming his way. Parker had to fight fire with fire to establish himself because things weren’t looking good as the rounds were piling up.

Parker’s jab eventually started to affect Chisora who clearly was looking tired from pressing the action so much. As the rounds were accumulating Parker needed to dig deep and battle of a tired looking Chisora who still kept on coming forward throwing bombs from left to right.

This bout may not have been the prettiest of fights out there but Chisora definitely made it a tough one for Parker all night. After 12 rounds of hard-hitting action the Judges scored it 115-113 for Chisora while the other two judges scored it 116-111 and 115-113 in favor of Parker. Personally, I wouldn’t have been mad at a draw but that 116-111 is out of pocket.

With this win Joseph picks up the Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Belt and repositions himself as a key player in the Heavyweight Division but truth be told, Parker is going to have to step his game up even more if he has any aspirations of recapturing one of the full Heavyweight Titles from the two Champions right now. Real Talk!

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Katie Taylor vs Natasha Jonas”

Undisputed Lightweight Title Defense

Tonight’s Matchroom/DAZN Co Main Event between Undisputed Lightweight Champion Katie Taylor (18-0, 6 Kos) and Natasha Jonas (9-2-1, 7 kos) at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England did not disappoint.

These two exceptional boxers put on quite a show from start to finish. Real Talk! Natasha proved to be a worthy opponent and physically pushed Katie to really up her game inside that squared circle.

Natasha stood her ground and went blow for blow with the Champ, dishing out just as much as she was receiving making the bout a really close to call. Both combatants were landing heavy shots and pressing the action round after round.

That being said, I personally think the deciding factor in this bout was the constant four-punch combinations that Taylor was dishing out. That was key in tonight’s showdown. Katie’s work rate edged it out as the Judges scored it 96-94, 96-95, 96-95 in favor of the Champ.

This was by far one of her toughest wins to date but one well-deserving for the Undisputed Lightweight champion Katie Taylor.

Congratulations Champ!

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Chris Eubank Jr. vs Marcus Morrison”

Middleweight Showdown

Chris Eubank Jr. (30-2, 22 Kos) had himself some much-needed rounds tonight on the Matchroom/DAZN card at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England when he took on Marcus Morrison (23-4, 16 Kos).

No disrespect to Marcus who was a tough Dude that showed up ready to fight, but it was clear after round 2 that Marcus was way over his head and did not belong inside that squared circle with Chris. As the rounds were piling up you could clearly see that Chris was purposely keeping him around in order to get some rounds in. I don’t blame him for doing so considering Chris hadn’t fought in 17 months and was working with a new trainer in Roy Jones Jr. in his corner.

Chris was visibly capable of stopping Marcus whenever he pressed the action but personally, I was pleased in seeing Chris listening to his corner and executing the instructions given while boxing with patience and dominating his opponent with ease.

After 10 full rounds of action all three Judges scored it 98-92, 98-92, 98-92, in favor of Eubank. Job well done.

I can definitely see the positive work you’ve been putting in with Roy Jones – now keep at it and keep the momentum going.

Until then, congratulations on your win.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Dmitry Bivol vs Craig Richards”

Super WBA Light Heavyweight Title Defense

Dmitry Bivol (18-0, 11 Kos) who we haven’t seen grace the squared circle since his last title defense back in October 12, 2019, had himself quite the rounds tonight on the Matchroom/DAZN card at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England when he defended his WBA Light Heavyweight Title against contender Craig Richards (16-2-1, 9 Kos).

Craig made Dmitry work tonight and asserted himself quite well. Aside from a few lapses, Craig stood his ground and made it an interesting bout. That being said Dmitry needed the rounds and defended his belt like a Champion should and performed exceptionally well for someone who’s been out of action for a year and a half.

Dmitry had himself a live body tonight and boxed a beautiful fight while showing us his exceptional skills round by round. There are levels to this boxing sh*t and tonight, Dmitry had to show us just that to secure this win by the score of 118-110, 115-114 and 115-113.

Had Craig pressed the action by being a tad more aggressive, this outcome would have certainly been in his favor. Craig may have come up short tonight but he definitely showed us he belongs with the top tier in the 168-Pound Division.

That being said, this bout was not a cake walk for Dmitry but he did successfully retain his WBA Light Heavyweight Title.

Congratulations Dmitry on another great win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Demetrius Andrade vs Liam Williams”

WBO Middleweight Title Defence

Tonight’s DAZN/Matchroom Main Event between WBO Middleweight Champion Demetrius Andrade (30-0, 18 Kos) and mandatory challenger Liam Williams (23-3-1, 18 Kos) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, was tougher than expected for the Middleweight Champion.

I gotta tip my “B” hat to Liam who proved to be tough and competitive as expected on his first title opportunity. Liam stood his ground, got dropped early in the second round for a quick 8 count but bounced right back up and continued to apply non-stop pressure throughout the rest of the rounds.

That being said, Andrade defended off the pressure coming his way by boxing and administering some serious power punches that were visibly landing at will. Surprisingly Andrade stayed in the pocket a lot longer than expected but definitely got the better of Liam as the rounds were piling up.

Liam definitely stepped-up big time tonight and tried to go toe to toe with the Champ by roughing him up but Andrade proved to be too allusive at times and made it extremely hard for Liam to land anything significant to slow Andrade down.

Liam made the Champ work tonight but after 12 rounds of action all three Judges saw it 118-109, 118-109 and 116-111 all in favor of Demetrius Andrade. Hands Down!

With this win Andrade successfully defended his WBO Middleweight Title for the fourth time. There are levels to this boxing sh*t and Andrade clearly showed tonight that he still got plenty of levels to go when tested as the competition improves.

Congratulations Demetrius on another great win. Hopefully a Unification bout is on the horizon.

Blaze

On the Watch ” It’s All About Jaron Ennis vs Sergey Lipinets”

Welterweight Showdown

Jaron Ennis (27-0, 25 Kos) walked it like he talked when he completely destroyed tough and durable adversary Sergey Lipinets (16-2-1, 12 Kos) at last night’s Showtime Main Event card from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

It was business as usual for Jaron when he stepped inside that squared circle with absolutely no sign of fear. Once the bell rang in the first round Jaron established himself as the more physical combatant with his size and strength while boxing and moving effectively preventing Sergey from ever setting up his own offence.

Sergey usually gets around to imposing himself but last night he clearly lacked the proper “game plan” to counter Jaron’s steady calculated offence.

Jaron’s ring generalship and perfectly timed switch-hitting style was visibly confusing Sergey inside that squared circle.  The number of heavy shots that Sergey was absorbing was quite worrisome outside looking in. I personally expected Sergey to be more competitive with his work rate but the punishment that he was enduring by the sixth-round cost him heavily when he got caught cold with a right-left devastating combination that flatted him out to the canvas and prompted the referee to instantly call an end to the bout at 2:11 of the sixth-round.

This was a very impressive performance by Jaron considering Sergey had never been stopped before or punished in such a dominant fashion.

Jaron is making it be known that he’s coming for that Number 1 Spot in the Welterweight Division. My only question is who will volunteer to derail the young lion?

Congratulations Jaron on another great performance. Goodluck to the competition!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Joe Smith Jr.” vs Maxim Vlasov”

Vacant WBO Light Heavyweight Championship

Last night’s Top Rank Main Event card between Joe Smith Jr. (27-3, 21 Kos) and Maxim Vlasov at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma was better than I expected with a lot of action from start to finish.

Judging by how the bout was going from round to round, I personally believe that Joe underestimated Maxim’s boxing ability inside that squared circle. Maxim’s speed, constant movement and unorthodox style made Joe look amateurish at times.

That being said, whenever Joe did land his punches, he made sure Maxim felt every ounce of them. I gotta tip my “B” hat to Maxim for the way that he fought. This Dude is definitely tougher than he looks. He took Joe’s power punches well and kept it moving as the rounds were piling up.

Maxim’s durability kept things very interesting inside that squared circle. Maxim may not have had the power compared to Joe but he definitely boxed a great fight on the night. Maxim pressed Joe enough round by round to make things very difficult to call but to the Judges, Joe’s power shots may have been the defining factor.

After 12 rounds of non-stop action the Judges scored it 115-112, 115-113, 114-1114, majority decision all in favor of Joe Smith Jr. Personally, it was a very close bout that could have went either way.

With this win Joe Smith Jr. becomes the New WBO Light Heavyweight Champion of the world.

Congratulations Joe on your latest achievement, you have officially reached the top of the mountain. Now on to a Unification bout with IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Artur Beterbiev.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Jamel Herring vs Carl Frampton”

WBO Super Featherweight Title Defence

WBO Super Featherweight Champion Jamel Herring (23-2, 11 Kos) successfully defended his title for the third time against former two-Division Champion Carl Frampton (28-3, 16 Kos) at the Caesars Palace Bluewaters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

It was a beautiful performance by Jamel who executed their “game plan” to a “T”. Jamel fought with patience added with a sense of confidence never wavering as the rounds progressed.

Carl, who was slated as the favorite to win this bout, undauntingly overestimated Jamel’s capabilities inside that squared circle. Carl had absolutely no answer to Jamel’s offensive and calculated approach. Carl attempted to bully Jamel at times but found it very difficult to get pass Jamel’s long right and left jab and tight defence preventing Carl from landing anything significant.

That being said, Jamel controlled every round and scored a knock down in round 5 and round 6 that saw Frampton beat the count but visibly hurt when Jamel continued the uncontested onslaught, which had Frampton ready to concede on wobbly legs, forcing his corner to throw in the towel at the 1:40 mark in the sixth round.

Congratulations Jamel. This was by far your best performance to date as a Champion, now on to a Unification bout.

Blaze